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Metal Bitches
Rising out of seemingly nowhere, the Metal Bitches are the most powerful raider gang in the eastern side of the Detroit Wasteland. Much of their success comes down to the drive and determination of their leader and founder, Blaze Reign, who shaped the gang in her own image. History The genesis of the Metal Bitches lies with two other raider gangs. The first is the Red Snakes, a minor gang that survived in the cracks between larger groups, preying on whatever targets they could. The Red Snakes were not particularly strong or capable, but managed to get by on opportunistic attacks and scavenging. In many ways, their biggest asset was that they were not seen as being a major threat to anyone, allowing them to fall between the cracks. The second was the Twisted Cross, a powerful and brutal slaver gang that were the preeminent power in the region. Ruthless in their operations, the Twisted Cross would prey upon whatever targets they could find. Aside form the usual goals of finding food, chems and caps, their attacks were primarily driven by the desire to capture victims for slavery. Those that they took would either be kept by the Twisted Cross, or sold to their allies, the Gentlemen. The Twisted Cross were also notable for their ideology. Taking his inspiration from the ancient Confederated States of America, their founder, Edward Guse was a radical white supremacist. While he lead a simple raider gang, he had dreams of building his own new order. He wished to establish a caste system ruled only by ‘pure’ white American men. Of course, two centuries after the great war such a concept was ludicrous, but Guse was not one to let logic get in the way of his ideals. Guse’s own experience in the Army of Revolution gave him a degree of strategic acumen that allowed him to better use his resources than other raider leaders. Likewise, his tactical experience meant that their men were often better disciplined and directed than their counterparts, making them more dangerous and less reckless in a fight. It was these factors that allowed the gang to rise to power, but also planted the seeds of their downfall. Having effectively smothered all opposition, by 2280 the Twisted Cross had become somewhat lazy and complacent. There were no regional powers that could challenge them, and their alliance with The Gentlemen meant that they were relatively safe from external harm. On top of that, their headquarters in the Detroit House of Correction was effectively a fortress, one that none of their enemies could hope to penetrate. While there still were other raider gangs in the area, none of them had the strength or numbers to pose a threat to the Twisted Cross. Rather, they simply farmed those groups for potential slaves. In early 2280, the Twisted Cross attacked the headquarters of the Red Snakes, seeking to harvest their members for sale to their slaver allies. While the attack went well, they faced unexpected opposition from a single raider. Blaze Reign, one of the Red Snakes’ lieutenants, managed to hold out against their advance far longer than any of her comrades. Using her wits and meagre resources, she managed to kill several of the Twisted Cross raiders, and wound a few more before she was finally captured. Rather than take her as a slave, the leader of the Twisted Cross group chose to teach her a lesson about defiance, while also hoping to send a message to anyone else who would dare to oppose them. Blaze was savagely beaten and left half dead by the raiders, who figured that they had gotten their point over. Left alone in the now former hideout of the Red Snakes, Blaze managed to pull herself together using what few supplies (and chems) were left. However, if they thought she was cowed, then the Twisted Cross proved to be sadly mistaken. Instead, Blaze swore vengeance on the gang, seeking to bring it down by whatever means she could. Desire for vengeance aside, Blaze was still a realist. She knew that she could not take down the Twisted Cross on her own. So instead she tried to find supporters and allies who had not yet been cowed by the Twisted Cross. Her first recruit came about through happenstance. She stumbled onto a Twisted Cross group who were in the process of attacking a scavenger party. Having killed all bar one of its members, the group were enjoying tormenting the sole survivor for their own twisted pleasure. Blaze used the distraction to eliminate them, before aiding the survivor. Having just been assaulted by the Twisted Cross, as well as just losing her husband to them, Sheena Crew was more than willing to aid Blaze in her goals. The third member of their team was not a direct victim of the Twisted Cross, but had been affected by them no less. Reign and Crew discovered that the slavers were searching for a particular woman with intent to capture her. After interrogating a couple of Twisted Cross raiders, they discovered why. The woman, Rose Thorne, was technically literate and capable, which the Cross felt would make her a highly lucrative prize for sale. Seeing an opportunity, the pair of them managed to track Thorne down to her lair inside an old service tunnel. After convincing her that they were not from the Twisted Cross (the fact that they were both women went along way towards proving their case) the pair of them made their case for their cause of bringing the slaver gang down. Thorne readily joined them, knowing that she would never be safe until the gang was eliminated, while also eager for no small measure of vengeance against them. Having secured her core of supporters, Reign now had to build an army. To this end, she moved among the small communities and raider gangs of the eastern Detroit Wasteland, looking for angry women who had been disempowered or disenfranchised by their circumstances. While she specifically sought out those who had been victims of the Twisted Cross, she was not going to turn down anyone who was willing to join up. Those that had actual fighting experience were placed in charge of helping to train those that did not, raising the group to at least a passable level of competence. Reign bloodied her recruits by sending them on small raids against the Twisted Cross and their operations. These attacks served two purposes; the first was to give her troops much-needed experience while assessing their capabilities. The second was to try and gather intelligence about the Cross, while looking for any weaknesses or vulnerabilities that they could exploit. While there were losses, these operations proved to be remarkably successful. The Twisted Cross, having grown complacent in their arrogance, failed to recognise these attacks for what they were. Guse himself put them down to the day to day risks of living in the wasteland, having failed to realise that the raids were a coordinated effort by a single group. Instead, his focus was on his allies in the Gentlemen, who had suffered a series of setbacks that had diminished their influence and whittled down their holdings and numbers. His concern was that should the Gentlemen collapse then his own gang might be weakened or end up in the firing line of their enemies. Blaze’s greatest intelligence coup came with the discovery of Bob Bragg. One of Guse’s lieutenants, Bragg was in charge of meeting with external buyers to trade. However, Bragg had become frustrated with his place inside the gang. He yearned for greater power, but knew that as long as Guse was in charge, he would always be stuck in second place. Furthermore, Guse was too well protected for Bragg to make any overt moves against him. Using this information, Blaze seduced Bragg and convinced him to form an alliance with her. She promised him that she would help him bring down Guse and put him in charge of the Twisted Cross, giving him all that he wanted. At the same time, she pried information out of him on their operations, membership, allies and, most importantly, their lair in the Detroit House of Correction. In short order she had Bragg wrapped around his finger, plying him with chems, alcohol and empty promises of power. Starting in 2281, Blaze stepped up the tempo and intensity of her attacks. Now her moves were more overt and aggressive, openly targeting the Twisted Cross and their operations. Her goals were twofold; the first was to disrupt their operations and prevent their functioning normally, while the second was to bleed them of manpower. Soon the Twisted Cross were suffering considerable losses on all fronts, and were starved of income. Realising just how severe the problem was, Guse desperately searched for a solution, but all his efforts came up empty as a result of Bragg’s efforts at misdirection. Confident that she had Bragg’s support, Blaze made her next move. On the night of the 23rd of May, 2281, she, Crew, Thorn and a small group of raiders her infiltrated the prison, using information Bragg had provided them. Once inside, they moved to eliminate the guards before breaking into the slave quarters. Freeing the slaves and arming them with the weapons they had taken, Blaze and her loyalists started an open revolt against the Twisted Cross. With Bragg’s help, they moved quickly, eliminating the remaining loyalists and gutting the gang. Caught unware, Guse was wounded in the battle and captured by the raiders. He was bought before Blaze and her lieutenants, with Bragg among them. Blaze then explained to him that it had been Bragg who had betrayed him, selling out the Twisted Cross in exchange for his own personal advancement. Seeing the reaction from Guse, Blaze then gave Bragg his ‘reward’ for his efforts by shooting him in the head, killing him on the spot. Then, to prove a point, she desecrated his collection of Confederate memorabilia and burned it, before finally making Guse beg for his life. Blaze then had him hung from the front of the prison, where his body would remain for the next month. The Twisted Cross were no more, and in their place a new power had risen. Gathering her men, as well as the freed slaves, Blaze declared that they were now the Metal Bitches. And while they were raiders, they were not slavers by any means. Her first act was to free all the slaves who had supported them, while giving the women the option to join their ranks. Many of them chose to do such, swelling the gang’s ranks. Having established her new order, Blaze now needed to ensure its survival. Consolidating her forces inside the prison, she did what she could to reinforce it while building up her own strength. While the Metal Bitches would need to deal with the hazards of trying to survive in the wasteland, she also knew that her actions would not go unnoticed by any means, and that they could expect retaliation. Blaze’s predictions were correct. Learning of the demise of their allies, the Gentlemen chose to retaliate in order to make up for their losses while also sending a message about what would happen to those that crossed them. Their plan was blunt and unsophisticated, aimed at crushing the Metal Bitches straight out. Internally, the Gentlemen were dismissive of their enemies, a move born of both their long-held sense of superiority and the perception that a gang made up entirely of women would be weak. Expecting a triumph, what the Gentlemen got was instead an utter disaster. Their troops were harassed as they advanced, the victims of near constant hit and fade attacks that whittled down their numbers while sapping their morale. On reaching the prison itself, they found that the Metal Bitches had reinforced the structure and had taken up positions on its walls and towers. Facing overwhelming opposition, the Gentlemen were forced to retreat, but not before a number of their men were captured or killed. The prisoners caused a rift within the Metal Bitches. Some wanted to simply kill them to send a message to their enemies, while others wanted to use them as labour (and other things) as the Gentlemen had used their slaves. A third group, lead by Crew, had their own ideas. They wanted to use the Gentlemen for entertainment, to humiliate them in the same way they had humiliated those they traded in. More of the gang swung their support behind her, leading to Reign agreeing to her plan. In short order, a makeshift arena was set up in the derelict wing of the prison, complete with spectator seating above it. The prisoners were led into the arena in pairs, and told that they could fight each other to the death and that the winner would get the opportunity to serve the gang. Those that refused to fight were simply shot on the spot. The result was a bloody spectacle as the prisoners slaughtered one another for the Metal Bitches’ amusement. Between the fights, those that refused and those that succumbed to their injuries, only a handful survived to be kept in slave-like conditions by the Metal Bitches. Even then, they were treated better than the Twisted Cross had treated their own slaves. This event would serve as inspiration to Blaze and the rest of the gang, and would become their signature in the years to come. Putting her gang to work (including their captives), she had the makeshift arena expanded upon and converted into something larger, more elaborate and more permanent in nature. Rather than simple one-on-one fights, the new arena could house groups of captives who would be forced to fight each other to the death; alternatively, it could be used for last man standing events. Later additions included cages to house wild animals captured from the wastelands. While their deathmatches were an amusing aside, the Metal Bitches also needed to survive. Once she felt they were decently established, Blaze began putting her forces to work as Raiders. However, her plan was not to be as indiscriminate, violent or wanton as her predecessors had been. Rather, she sought to create a model of what she called ‘sustainable’ Raiding, one that would ensure the Metal Bitches’ long-term survival. Her plan was twofold. The first part of it was to thin out or eliminate the competition by taking care of the other Raider gangs remaining in the region. While avoiding conflict with larger or well-organised gangs, Blaze instead targeted those smaller groups that were more abundant in this part of the Wasteland. Furthermore, she discouraged violence and cruelty for the sake of it, instead urging her people to take as many prisoners as they could. Those prisoners would be divided up, depending on their gender. Female prisoners were given the option of joining the Metal Bitches. Those that refused would be allowed to go, although it would be made clear that it would be best to stay out of the gang’s way. Male prisoners would be fed into the Bitches’ deathmatches for their entertainment; those that survived would then be kept as ‘servants’ for the rest of the gang. However, aside from recruits, Blaze was well aware that the rewards from preying on raiders would be slim at best. Her gang’s main source of supply would come from the traditional Raider targets; settlements, traders, scavengers and so on. However, her plan was not to engage in the same level of destructive, bloody action that was typical of raider attacks. Rather, her gang would take only what it needed to survive (even if comfortably), and if possible, use intimidation and standover tactics to get what they wanted. Her plan was to keep those communities alive and able to keep feeding them, rather than driving them into the ground. For the first three years of their existence, this plan worked for the Metal Bitches. Their raids netted them the supplies they needed without the need to destroy their targets or engage in violence for the simple sake of it. Rather, the gang’s bloodlust was sated through attacks on other Raider gangs, as well as their deathmatches. The gang quietly consolidated its power, although Blaze was careful to make sure that she and her gang remained alert and active, rather than fall into the same complacency that bought down the Twisted Cross and crippled the Gentlemen. For all her planning, however, it was an external event that would do the most to consolidate the Metal Bitches’ power. April 2284 bought news that the long-dormant Army of Revolution was on the warpath, driving into the Detroit Wasteland with a massively expanded force. Reports on both Radio Free Detroit and Motown Pirate Radio conformed that two of the settlements in the Detroit Wasteland, Baggie High and Scrap Iron City, had allready fallen to the Revolutionaries, and that their forces were continuing to advance. Seeing an opportunity, Blaze played this crisis for all it was worth. She turned to those communities that she was standing over, pointing out that as bad as the Metal Bitches might be, rule by the Army of Revolution would be worse. After all, she reasoned, the Metal Bitches like things to stay the way they are, while the Army of Revolution would likely take whatever they wanted and kill anyone who got in their way. Their only hope was to essentially let the Metal Bitches protect them by cooperating with the Raiders. As she expected, her demands met some opposition, but eventually the settlements all fell into line rather than risk conquest. The truth was that Blaze suspected the Army of Revolution had very little interest in the Eastern half of the city. Instead, she figured they would likely set their sights on the central and western portions, which contained the largest and wealthiest settlements. However, she was careful not to reveal this information, instead continuing to use the fear of the Army of Revolution as a way to enforce her will. Ultimately, the Army of Revolution never made its way to the Eastern side of the city, exactly as she had expected. However, following the end of the so-called Revolutionary war and the collapse of their forces, some deserters (both individual and in groups) made their way into the Metal Bitches’ territories. The gang preyed upon them as they would other Raiders, capturing them and either offering them membership or feeding them to their arena depending on their gender. The curious result of this arrangement was that the Metal Bitches began to evolve away from being a raider gang and into something that vaguely resembled a feudal society. They would collect tribute from their vassal settlements, and in return provide them with protection from those that would prey on them. Those that stepped out of line would be dealt with, and used as an example of what happened to those that chose to defy their authority. While the situation remained stable for two years, the dawn of 2287 threatened to change everything. The growing fighting between the city’s three slaver gangs (the Furies, the War Bears and the Gentlemen) threatened to spill over, forcing Blaze to divert more of her crew to watching her territory and protecting against incursions. While she was happy to let the three potentially destroy each other, she did not want them to do such at the expense of her own holdings. The real eye-opener came when the Metal Bitches were approached by the Army of Revolution with regards to a potential alliance. Blaze flat out rejected the offer, making it clear that her gang would not be anyone’s slaves. Figuring that this was a prelude to some greater action, she again began preparing her forces for what she saw as being an inevitable conflict. At the same time, she beefed up protection of their vassal states, determined that nobody would take what she saw as hers. Her predictions proved to be correct, although Blaze had not expected just how far they would reach. The fall of Park Lane took her by surprise, as she had not expected the Army to move so fast and reach so far. All of a sudden, the threat of an attack seemed very real, resulting in the Metal Bitches readying themselves for the worst case scenario; a direct invasion of their territory by the Army of Revolution. Description Despite their pretentions of civility and responsibility, the Metal Bitches are at heart still a raider gang. They survive by preying on other communities rather than trying to gather their own resources and supplies, and negotiate through threats and violence rather than any sort of equitable dealings. The true difference lies in the way they approach their targets. Rather than indiscriminate violence and killing resulting in their taking what they want, the Metal Bitches prefer more targeted attacks that limit damage and allow them to get what they need. This practice in turn allows for them to keep ‘farming’ their targets, providing a long-term, effectively sustainable supply. In the best case scenarios, the targets opt to hand over what the Metal Bitches demand rather than risk violence. Aside from their distinctly controlled raiding, the other more infamous aspect of the Metal Bitches is their deathmatches. A part of their lair has been converted into an arena, complete with holding pens, traps, covering walls and other obstacles. Any men that the gang captures are bought here to fight, be it against each other or various creatures that the gang may have also captured. Seating above the arena allows the Metal Bitches to watch in comfort, while mesh fencing and several machine gun turrets ensure that there is no risk to the audience. Membership The membership of the Metal Bitches is made up entirely and exclusively of women. In theory, any woman can join the gang; all they have to do is approach them and ask. However, actually joining requires a potential recruit to fight one of the existing members in order to prove their mettle. These fights are usually to the first blood, and even a defeated potential recruit will usually be offered membership regardless, unless their showing was particularly poor. Female captives from other raider gangs or the like will be offered a chance at membership with the same attendant risks. However, there is also a second group who are controlled by the Metal Bitches but not considered to be a part of the gang. Men who are captured by the gang are imprisoned and forced to fight in their deathmatches. Those that survive are then kept as ‘servants’ by the gang, which amounts to a thinly disguised form of slavery. While they are better kept and looked after than the victims of many slaver gangs, they also are by no means free and essentially are the property of the gang. For the most part, these servants are used for heavy labour, building maintenance, cleaning and other menial tasks. A few particularly attractive individuals are kept in relative luxury to ‘service’ the members of the Metal Bitches. Equipment The Metal Bitches are a Raider gang, and as such, their equipment comes down to whatever they can find, scavenge or make for themselves. Their weaponry runs the gamaunt from improvised melee weapons and Pipe Pistols to preserved pre-war pistols and even assault rifles. A few members of the gang have been able to get their hands on Foundry-built rifles; these weapons are prized for their reliability and ready ammunition supply. Likewise, their armour amounts to everything from scratch-built scrap to preserved pre-war suits. There are several notable items in among their armoury. The foremost of them is a Raider Power Armor suit that they took from the arsenal of the Twisted Cross. The suit has been used by the Metal Bitches as a way to enforce their power, with none of their enemies or targets having weapons capable of stopping it. When it takes to the field, the suit is typically used by Blaze Reign, or one of her high-ranking lieutenants. Their other notable technological achievement is their arena. Originally just a simple obstacle course of broken walls and metal scrap, it has since evolved into something far more advanced and involved. Now it features traps, dread-drops, moving walls and other such fiendish devices aimed at confusing and disorienting those inside, while also occasionally killing or maiming. Remote controlled gates ensure that the combatants only move when the Metal Bitches want them to, while a battery of remote turrets above the arena are used to prevent any escapes. Notable Members Blaze Reign The leader of the Metal Bitches, Blaze Reign was responsible for shaping the gang into the form that it takes today. Originally from a small farming community in the Michigan wilderness, Blaze came to the Detroit Wasteland in the hope of finding better opportunities. Instead, she succeeded in directions that she had never expected, creating a powerful raider empire over the ashes of one she had dismantled. Blaze presents an interesting dichotomy; she is surprisingly compassionate towards the members of the Metal Bitches, making sure that they are treated well and that they are as safe as possible. Likewise, she treats her vassal states with a certain degree of respect, taking only what her gang needs and resorting to violence only as a last resort. Even then, she holds back and tries to avoid unnecessary cruelty. However, to her enemies, she presents a very different face. This is most evident in her actions against other raider gangs, where she will not hold back from destroying them and taking whatever she wants. Those that chose to surrender have to face the Metal Bitches’ arena, a gory spectacle that she enjoys watching. Possibly her darkest moments was her dispatching of Edward Guse, the leader of the Twisted Cross. She humiliated him, tortured him and made him beg for mercy before lynching him anyway. Sheena Crew The second in command of the Metal Bitches, Sheena Crew was one of its founding members. Originally a scavenger, she had to watch her husband and the rest of her team being killed in front of her. This experience hardened her, giving her a grim and determined outlook with a penchant towards cruelty. Having seen what Raiders were capable of, she feels that their cruelty should be repaid in kind. Sheena became one of the biggest proponents of their arena, and enjoys watching those in it suffer. However, like their leader, she prefers to take a softer touch towards those that the Metal Bitches prey upon in order to survive. While unquestionably loyal to Blaze, Sheena’s relationship to their leader is complicated by her own feelings. Sheena is attracted to Blaze, but knows that while her leader is unaware of these feelings she also would not reciprocate them (being only interested in men). The result is that Sheena has become quietly frustrated, unable to figure a way to express her feelings without complicating their otherwise strong relationship. Rose Thorne The third in the triad of founders, Rose Thorne is the most technically adept member of the gang, who is charged with looking after their weapons and equipment. Originally a scavenger, her technological skills had made her a sought-after prize, resulting in her going into hiding. When Blaze offered her a chance to get back at her tormentors, Rose leaped at it if only for her own safety. However, she found herself quire enjoying the life of a high-ranking raider, even if her main interest was playing with whatever technology the Metal Bitches recovered. Compared to the otherwise outgoing leadership of the gang, Rose is somewhat introverted. She prefers to spend her time tinkering with machinery and making modifications, and often will be found in their workshop toying with some device. While she particularly enjoys tinkering with their Power Armour, her true pride and joy is the Arena, which she oversees. However, Rose has a certain detachment to what actually goes on in there, seemingly uncaring as to how her creations are used. Shane Marten Strictly speaking Shane marten is not a member of the Metal Bitches per se; however, he does have an odd place in their hierarchy. Formerly a member of the Army of Revolution, Shane deserted after the end of the Revolutionary War. For a while he ran with a small raider gang before being captured by the Metal Bitches and thrown into their arena, which he managed to survive. With his combination of skill and relative good looks, he caught Blaze’s eye, who decided to keep him as her personal ‘pet’. While their relationship was initially decidedly one-sided, the pair found that that their relationship evolved into something deeper and more affectionate. The pair of them are genuinely loving towards each other, even if privately so. Of course, Shane still survives only at Blaze’s whim, so there is a certain degree of delicacy involved. None the less, he has used his position to ensure that the Metal Bitches’ other captive workers are treated decently, rather than with the brutality common to slavers. Category:Groups Category:Raiders